A Right Rapid Review : Watering Cans, Lightweights and Light Entertainment
You needed Bruce Foresight to predict the going on July Cup day. Andrew Balding continues his good run. More Thunder scrapes in but is better than he looks
There might be a hosepipe ban, but it’s clearly not extending to Newmarket and the surrounding area
They chucked enough water on the July Course last week to change the going and, following on from the Chester May meeting earlier in the year, throw everyone off the scent looking for proper fast ground horses on Super Saturday. An unenviable position for anyone to be in given the Red Hot Summer, true, but it
If the ground at Newmarket on Saturday was good to firm, I’m Bruce Forsyth. Try as I might, despite enquiries into chin lengthening surgery and the perfection of an impression that sounds more like with lockjaw attempting to swallow a wobbleboard, I’m clearly not the King of Light Entertainment.
I did create a character in my previous life as a comedy chat show host called Bruce Foresight, a man who could predict the future, including what hilarious ways our guests were going to die. Unfortunately, he couldn’t predict his own death, halfway through the Edinburgh Fringe, so the routine had to be retired.
Bruce Foresight is an excellent name for a horse racing tipster, or Bruce Hindsight for an analyst, and the former couldn’t predict the going on Saturday so the latter is going to have to be annoyed on his behalf.
No Half Measures won the July Cup in a time slower than the July Stakes on Thursday. The average going allowance on Saturday was -2.5. On Thursday, it was 9. On Friday, 5. The last July Cup on good to firm, in 2022, was run on a card with an allowance of 18.
No wonder No Half Measures, whose best run prior had come on heavy and was fifth in a soft ground Abbaye, sprang a shock. Run To Freedom, who hated proper fast ground at Ascot, bounced back on easier conditions. Richard Hughes winning the big one was great to see as he’s really hit his stride as a trainer this year and with a horse who might not even be the best sprinter in his yard by the end of the year as SAYIDAH DARIYAN, the winner of the Summer Stakes at York, is improving rapidly. She’s very, very good, and the second NIGHTEYES is too, but clearly needs an extra furlong.
The sprinters overall are a bit of a rum bunch though, so wouldn’t it be nice to see MORE THUNDER back down in trip again?
Yes, yes, we’re back discussing this horse again. He made a meal of winning the Bunbury Cup but, given the watering, he did well to get up to collar defending champ Aalto under a corker of a ride from Tom Marquand. Please Mr Haggas, please drop him back to six furlongs for the Autumn sprints?
Other Newmarket thoughts, starting off with an obvious one. Not many people missed DANCING FLOWER in the opening maiden on Saturday. The front two kicked and the Appleby debutant coasted into third, barely asked a question. Her dam did similar then bolted up on her second start, albeit at three, and she might do the same but a year earlier.
Karl Burke thinks VENETIAN SUN is the best he’s ever trained and weirdly, despite making heavy weather of her win, I was more impressed than at Ascot. A smaller field, an undulating track, she travelled with more zest than a lemon sorbet, hit the front up the stiff finish and pulled out plenty under pressure to beat a fast-finishing rival. Size, scope, class, grit, determination - you name it, she’s got it.
ENDLESS VICTORY looked a good thing to many eyes on the 1m6f handicap on Friday but probably paid for duelling with Real Dream, conveniently handing the win to Oneforthegutter, a stablemate of the third. The 1m6f handicap at Glorious Goodwood is a painfully obvious next target.
PRINCE OF INDIA was the eye-catcher of all eye-catchers at Leicester last month, coming from last to first dropped in trip. The concern was the track - could a speed favouring Newmarket play better for him? Erm … yeh, just a bit. He’s by Wooton Bassett out of a Galileo mare, so you’d hope he’d be smart, and he’s now challenging More Thunder in the ‘Favourite Handicapper of the Season’ awards.
They clearly went too fast in the early stages so kudos to AMERICAN STYLE for finishing a clear second. Given he’s won at Ripon, I’d be keeping an eye on him in a Great St Wilfrid possibly.
David Probert is one of the many jockeys it’s easy to forget exists. There’s so many of them these days, a jockey like Probert can get lost in the mix, a lightweight who has been quietly going about his business for about fifteen years now and is having a very good year without getting much praise.
He rode three winners at the weekend, all at Ascot, two for Andrew Balding and one for Richard Hughes. He hadn’t won a domestic Group race since September 2022 before this year but booted home Divina Grace in April and gave NEVER SO BRAVE a lovely ride to win the Summer Mile in a mouth-wateringly fast time.
Only six turned up but Point Lynas put the pace to the race and set it up for the Balding improver, stepping from handicap to Group 2 success in the blink of an eye. It was all straightforward, and he’s been a revelation since being gelded. The Celebration Mile at Goodwood next month might be interesting but he’s also won in on soft ground so he’s not a million miles away from having a crack at a QEII given his love of Ascot.
PJ McDonald is another jockey benefitting from the Balding Bonanza of big winners recently. His ride on Fox Legacy, tracking over from box 19 in the John Smith’s Cup, was a bit of a blinder. It didn’t look a good renewal of the race though and I’d rather follow the previous day’ s race over the John Smith’s trip won by DAIN MA NUT IN.
He got into a lovely rhythm up front and won nicely. The third, BEYLERBEYI, has been running in very good races without winning this season but this was a big, big run from the back. His only wins have been at Wolverhampton and Doncaster but, given those two venues host Racing League events, he could be one to watch if he’s registered for that competition.
Finally, shockingly good time of the week goes to THAT’S MY BOY LUKE at Ripon last Monday. God knows how he’d not won a race before this but had dropped 8lbs since his handicap debut last year and he dotted up in fine style in a figure reminiscent of a 0-80, not a horse winning a 0-70 off 59. Watch out for BARLEYBROWN and VOLENTI when they go back to Newcastle and the winner is entered in loads of races at the weekend.